Chapter 573: Awkward Chatting

Seeing old friends again made everyone quite happy. In an apocalypse like this, being able to see that everyone was still alive was truly a very fortunate thing.

Lin Qingge was still radiating brilliance.

That Little Bug kid was still somewhat socially anxious in Auntie Zhao's eyes.

That Crow kid was still just as chuunibyou as ever.

Ye was still just as cold.

Even Dantai Bie was still just as much of a chatterbox.

It seemed like nothing had changed.

Everyone naturally gathered by the seaside for a good get-together, recounting the things they'd encountered recently.

It had been about two years or so since the global Anomaly outbreak.

People had started getting used to life in the apocalypse.

Of course, this kind of "getting used to" definitely didn't mean adaptation; it just meant everyone had more experience dealing with Anomalies.

For example, everyone now knew that the first thing to do when encountering an Anomaly was to avoid fighting as much as possible, then get far away.

Another example was that when dealing with Anomalies, you couldn't fall into empiricism. Even if you were extremely familiar with the Anomaly in front of you, you still had to be one hundred percent alert.

Or perhaps everyone's strength had increased somewhat.

Anyway, regardless of the reason, among the remaining humans,

the casualty rate had indeed dropped quite a bit.

This could be considered a tiny glimmer of hope amidst the endless darkness.

The people from several convoys brought out the food and beer they'd treasured for a long time to share.

Lin Qingge didn't hold back at all, hugging her guitar and starting to sing a little segment.

That guitar of hers was something she'd gotten after everyone had parted ways.

This girl already had a microphone Wonder, plus a guitar Wonder.

She'd even advanced to Sequence 4, making her the fastest in terms of strength improvement.

That woman's heavenly voice was still intoxicating, still making people feel like they'd been transported back to the world before the apocalypse.

It was a good thing there was no one else here, otherwise it would have caused another uproar.

Sun Xixi came back after practicing her sword and saw Lin Qingge, getting incredibly excited.

The two women chattered on and on for ages.

Chen Ye found it hard to understand why two women who hadn't known each other long, and who had even been enemies before, could become so familiar so quickly.

"Wow... Qingge, long time no see! How is your skin still so good!"

"Your skin is the good one! Not just your skin, but your hair is so nice too! How do you take care of it?"

"No way..."

To Chen Ye, this kind of conversation was pure nonsense.

It was even a bit hypocritical!

Chen Ye sat by the sea, listening to the sound of the waves, and for a moment, he had no idea what topic to bring up.

Beside him, Ye hugged his knife and stared at the waves crashing against the sand, almost completely silent.

Chen Ye wanted to try chatting with this guy.

But this guy had zero desire to talk.

On the other side was Xu Linhao, but this kid clearly still remembered the grudge from the No-Rules Race back in Oasis City.

He wasn't exactly friendly toward Chen Ye, and he was keeping his distance too.

As for Crow, this chuunibyou teenager could actually be talked to for a bit, but this guy had this middle-school fantasy vibe to everything he said, every single sentence.

He wanted to chat with Chen Ye, but Chen Ye didn't even want to chat with him.

And then there was that Insect Breeder...

This guy only knew how to cackle "hehehe" like a fool all day, thinking he was some big villain lurking in the shadows from a TV drama.

Chen Ye couldn't be bothered with him at all.

Iron Lion... well.

Iron Lion only knew how to grin stupidly. Whatever Chen Ye said, he'd just nod and laugh like an idiot.

Little Fish had already joined up with those two women, occasionally getting pinched and fussed over by Auntie Zhao.

There was no way Chen Ye could chat with Little Fish either.

Even if Little Fish had nothing to do, she probably wouldn't talk to him.

As for Ding Dong...

This woman stared at the sea, lost in thought about who knows what.

As for Zhou Xiaoxiao...

Well, this woman practically avoided him like the plague. There was almost no chance of conversation.

At that moment, she too stared silently at the sea, as quiet as a block of ice in the dead of night.

Of course, the social butterfly of the whole gathering was Dantai Bie. This guy was a natural chatterbox.

After chatting for a bit, he acted like he'd known everyone forever, weaving through the crowd.

One moment he'd chat with Lin Qingge, the next he'd chat with Xu Linhao.

No matter what topic someone brought up, he always had a few opinions to share.

For a while, it actually made people think this kid was knowledgeable and well-traveled, earning him a bit of respect.

Which just made Dantai Bie even more excited.

And of course, there was Xu Lina.

However, Xu Lina quickly joined the circle of those two women. Three women made a play.

Especially three women who were all very attractive, each with a different temperament.

It seemed like women like that could easily become good friends.

With Xu Lina controlling the flow of the conversation, these three women seemed to forget about time as they chatted.

Occasionally, Dantai Bie managed to squeeze in a word or two, but none of the three women paid him any attention.

Even someone as talkative as Dantai Bie couldn't break into their conversation.

For a moment, the blow to Dantai Bie was considerable.

Chen Ye looked left and right, and for a moment, realized there was no one he could talk to.

Chu Che and Auntie Zhao, both being Pathfinder Sequence, had plenty to talk about too.

He noticed someone else sitting there foolishly.

It was Gong Yong.

This guy sat there silently, as if trying to make himself not stand out, but he had no idea how to do it.

For a moment, he looked a bit awkward.

One moment he looked left, the next he looked right!

"Hey, Da Yong!"

Chen Ye waved at Gong Yong.

Gong Yong looked somewhat reluctant to chat with Chen Ye, but since he was technically an outsider here, to avoid looking too pitiful, he decided to accept Chen Ye's invitation.

So he shuffled his butt over and sat down.

"Yezi ge!"

Gong Yong had a stiff smile on his face.

Although Gong Yong wasn't as socially anxious as before, he still didn't really want to get close to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye nodded. "You, kid, for someone so big, why are you still so timid?"

Gong Yong didn't say anything.

Seeing that this guy wouldn't talk, Chen Ye didn't know what to say either.

He finally understood why Gong Yong could be left out in a situation like this.

Chen Ye's own people skills weren't great.

There was a reason for that.

But this guy was a total clam.

He had absolutely no idea how to make conversation.

For the first time, Chen Ye felt at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally asked, "Eaten?"

Gong Yong looked at Chen Ye like he was an idiot.

His expression seemed to say, "Whether I've eaten or not, don't you know?"

Chen Ye knew he'd asked a stupid question, but he wasn't embarrassed about it. He just glared at Gong Yong.

"If you've eaten, say you've eaten. If you haven't, say you haven't. What's with that look?"

Gong Yong, being glared at by Chen Ye, had his lingering socially anxious personality surface.

He could only mumble, "I've eaten."

And so, the two of them exchanged maybe two or three sentences before it got painfully awkward.

Chen Ye felt the atmosphere was getting weird.

So he decided to ask something a bit more in-depth.

"How's that microwave oven of yours coming along?"

Hearing this question, Gong Yong perked up a little.

"A few more days. Earlier, I was thinking of going the heat-disinfection route, but I tried it several times and it didn't work."

"Squad Leader Chu got a bunch of Revitalization Talismans, so I plan to combine the Revitalization Talisman with my furnace."

"Just put the expired food in, let it spin for a few minutes, and you get a full, safe meal!"

The more Gong Yong talked, the more excited he got, a flush spreading across his face.

Chen Ye interrupted, "Wait, if you're using a Revitalization Talisman anyway, what do you need that crappy furnace of yours for? Isn't that like taking off your pants to fart?"

"No... I mean..."

Gong Yong tried to explain.

Chen Ye waved his hand and said earnestly,

"Da Yong, look at other people. Lin Qingge is Sequence 4, and she already has a domain. Squad Leader Chu is Sequence 4, and he's already building a tribe of a thousand people."

"Before, when I was in Fog City, I met another mechanic. He was only Sequence 2, and he'd already made four Wonders!"

"Look at them, then look at yourself... you need to work harder!"

As soon as Chen Ye finished his few sentences,

Gong Yong's face was bright red.

After a long pause, Gong Yong finally choked out, "Yezi ge, now I finally know why no one wants to talk to you!"

Without waiting for Chen Ye to react,

Gong Yong stood up and walked back, muttering something under his breath as he went.

It sounded like he was cursing some heartless bastard.